(CNN) – Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday called the United States' "tradition" of not leaving soldiers in captivity a "noble" one in what amounted to a measured defense of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's controversial release.

Clinton was headlining an event in suburban Denver when she was asked whether she would have traded five terrorists for Bergdahl, the American soldier whose release in Afghanistan after five years of captivity has sparked controversy.

She downplayed the criticism surrounding his release and noted some of the benefits his expected return brings the United States.

Washington (CNN) – Hillary Clinton's speech on Wednesday to the American Jewish Committee was a tightrope act where the former first lady offered a vocal defense of her dealings with Iran as secretary of state while also expressing skepticism about current negotiations on the country's nuclear program.

One the one hand, Clinton used her remarks to defend her overall record as secretary of state. She called the process of "making policies at the highest levels" a "balancing act with an endless set of tough calls" where "there are always choices we later regret, consequences we do not see, alternative paths we wish we had taken."

Memphis, Tennessee (CNN) – Sen. Rand Paul sharply criticized Hillary Clinton for her handling of Benghazi, which he argued should disqualify her to serve as U.S. president, in remarks Friday to members of the Republican National Committee.

He charged that when Clinton served as Secretary of State, the agency was spending money on items that were not needed instead of boosting security for the U.S. diplomats serving in Libya.

Washington (CNN) - Hindsight is 20/20, they say, but some people may need backwards-looking glasses in debating whether the State Department under Hillary Clinton erred two years ago by not designating Boko Haram a terrorist group.

The question arose Thursday as part of the international focus on last month's abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls by the jihadist group in northeast Nigeria that threatens to sell them into slavery.

The horrible story of Nigerian girls being kidnapped for going to school seems to have affected President Obama and the first lady personally as the U.S. government also struggles to find consequential ways to help rescue them.

First lady Michelle Obama joined the social media campaign to raise awareness about the missing Nigerian schoolgirls when she tweeted a photo from the White House with a determined and sad look on her face and a piece of paper in her hand saying, “#BringBackOurGirls.”

Washington (CNN) – A new State Department report on the Keystone XL pipeline released Wednesday cheered advocates, who called for immediate approval, and dismayed environmentalists, who questioned it.

The Office of the Inspector General’s report essentially boosted a critical document in the debate - the State Department’s environmental review, which forecast that the project would have minimal environmental impact. The inspector general dismissed complaints that the review was biased, finding it was handled properly, with standards sometimes “more rigorous” than required.

Environmental groups complained that some contractors who worked on the environmental study had also done work for TransCanada, the company which hopes to build the pipeline.FULL POST

Washington (CNN) - A debate of more than five years could stretch even longer with Wednesday's call for a health study on the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada.

Two Democratic senators - Barbara Boxer of California and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island - urged Secretary of State John Kerry to examine higher rates of cancer and other illness reported in places impacted by the "tar sands" oil from northern Alberta.

Their letter to Kerry sought to further delay the project that has support from Republicans, some Democrats, the oil industry and labor unions. A Pew Research Center poll in September showed 65% of respondents favored building it.

Washington (CNN) - An update on a story "CNN's The Lead with Jake Tapper" first reported in August, regarding the sex scandal that brought down former CIA director David Petraeus.

Jill and Scott Kelley, suing the Obama administration for alleged defamation of character during the aftermath of the Petraeus sex scandal, have added new defendants to their lawsuit, including the Department of State, former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, and outgoing FBI Deputy Director Sean Joyce.